Is Your Brand Identity Overdue for a Makeover?

By Roger Schein, Executive Creative Director
Email comments to rschein@theandersongrp.com.

Coca-Cola^®. McDonald’s^®. Starbucks^®. Food Network^®. You can instantly see these brands in your mind’s eye. Simply put, a brand identity is a visual representation of your brand, which includes your logo, color palette, imagery, signage—anything that someone sees that is connected to your brand. The strongest brand identities are simple, distinctive, relevant and most importantly, forge an emotional bond with the audience.

Your company’s brand identity has most likely been with you for a long time and has been incorporated into everything—your stationery, your Web site, your printed materials and packaging, even your lobby, company polo shirts and fleet of trucks, if you’ve got one. Changing your visual brand identity is not an easy undertaking. The evaluation process needs to be thoughtful. Change must happen with purpose. And as a result, a brand identity change can be one the best decisions your company can make to sustain or increase its growth.

How do you evaluate if your identity needs a change?
There are several levels of change for a brand identity, which can range from a subtle refresh of logo colors and font thickness, to a complete overhaul beyond your logo that better matches your company’s new strategic direction. One good rule of thumb is to evaluate your brand identity at regular intervals to assess its freshness and relevance to your audience. Remember, even the Coca-Colas of the world evaluate and update their brand identities regularly.

1. How old is your identity? If you’ve had the same identity since your company was created in the early 80s, it’s time to admit you may need a change. What color palette are you using? Are you starting to look retro, unintentionally? Does your identity still reflect that you’re a forward-thinking company? If you give the appearance of being out of date and out of touch, customers may pass you over for a brand they feel they can better relate to.

2. Is your business strategy reflected in your brand identity? Avoid a disconnect between who you are, what you do, and what you look like. Has your business taken a new direction or focus? Did you add different products or services? Have you acquired a new business or reached out to new audiences? These are all reasons to consider a brand identity change or refresh.

3. Has your brand identity lost its distinctiveness? If your brand identity has become a “me too” kind of look and lacks a personality, it will get lost in the shuffle. Take a look at your competitors’ brand identities. Do you stand out or pale in comparison? Are you memorable or unmistakably forgettable?

Don’t change for change’s sake.
At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes it’s better to do nothing. Don’t revamp your brand identity just because you’re tired of it. Embarking on this kind of business journey needs to be a thoughtful and clear-headed business decision with a purpose. Also, if your company has been around for a while, you undoubtedly have built brand equity in your identity. So unless you have become a completely new company, it is wise to incorporate design elements of your current identity into the updated one. You don’t want your updated face to be so radically different that your customers miss the “old” you, or worse, wonder who the heck you are.

You need a change, but where do you start?
Companies who have a solid understanding of their brand architecture have a head start on this evolutionary process. It is imperative that before any creative exploration begins, your company can articulate the essential elements that define its brand. If all of this information is in place, it will be the fiber that is used to weave a unique visual identity that successfully represents your dynamic company.

In addition to making sure your brand architecture is in place, you need buy-in from the top down. Without it, nothing will—or should—happen.

You will also need to take an inventory of all the things that will need to be changed. It’s important to grasp the scope of the project before you begin.

Finally, this entire initiative will need to be collaborative to achieve the best results. Consider using professionals who are skilled at guiding your company through this adventure and incorporating all aspects of your brand into the decisions.

While this can seem like a daunting and expensive project, it may be more costly to remain complacent. Start the discussion now. Never underestimate the power of your brand—and that includes your brand identity.

Image Credit: Coca-Cola^®